Buddhism

In 2005, while working at the University of Bath, Anja proposed an investigation of what she calls 'Buddhist Technologies', to inform design. The reason was simple: Buddhist methods concern themself only with the nature and process of creation in space.  

Essentially, Buddhists have done 2500 years of research which could easily help design. And it could be useful for scientists and business-people, who need mechanisms to harness creativity and streamline innovation. For, in spite of the fact that the actual domain of Buddhist experiment cannot be touched, it turns out that Buddhism is extremely scientific in its approach to testing 'how things really are'.

In fact, just like Western science, Buddhism:

1. aims at a goal for the benefit of humanity
2. defines starting axioms
3. encourages people to make hypotheses about reality
4. gives repeatable methods for testing whether hypothesis and experience of reality match. When they do not, Buddhists change their assumptions, rather than dogmatically insist that things must be a certain way.

The primary method, which informed the PRIZM Innovation Map comes from the Diamond Way tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.  Compared with descriptions of the creative process in art, literature, fashion design and engineering, Anja found Diamond Way meditation more completely tied together what Westerners knew about the creation of 'any kind of thing', in any kind of design space.

This particular Buddhist method has 7 distinct stages in the process of making something new within itself - which is in fact the literal translation of Innovation (Lat. Inne and Novare). The 7 stages can be roughly translated in words which are familiar to Life Coaches, Organizational Change Managers and Engineering Designers.

You can think of the 7 stages of creation in this way :

A. Define the current situation and the motivation for moving, transforming or changing something. That means we determine the needs or tasks. In Western psychology, motivation usually kicks in, due to the pathology of 'being stuck' ie. due to a ‘problem’. In contrast, motivation while using the meditative tool results from seeing the ultimate goal and most positive outcomes. This positive view is also the starting point of Altshuller (check out our TRIZ page on this site).

B. Develop or accept specifications for a template of the desired goal. The goal is not an arbitrary or vague wish. It is defined as a function with a high level of internal structure. The structure is both geometric and psycho-social, so it has both non-human and human qualities.

C. Create a conceptual design or rough template of the solution. This exists on the opposite side of a mirror to our current situation. The internal structure of the goal, and indeed our own relation to the goal, create a geometric map that links ‘where we are’ with the ideal ‘where we want to be’. The map outline is very simple. It mentally diverges from the starting point and converges on the desired finishing point, just like the eye does, when it looks at objects apparently located behind a physical mirror. The shape produced is a diamond.

D. Next, map the intimate details of the conceptual template, one by one, into -or onto- the existing situation. That means we introduce as many as possible new things from the ideal into the original or old form – especially including the three essential ingredients of material, communication and information systems. In engineering terms, we select building blocks or make combinations of solution principles to fulfil the overall function.

E. Overlay a complete blueprint of the ideal solution on the existing structure in its current context, trying to ‘melt’ or dissolve the boundaries between them. This is the stage of detailed design, concept variant, form variant or embodiment design. In meditation, this is the point at which one attempts to achieve transparency of the point of origin and the final goal.

F. As well as possible, test the blueprint in the current context. In a last cycle of action and critical reflection, it means we produce a prototype that works.

G. Finally, imagine a general application or manufacture of our prototype for all other systems, which might benefit from having access to improved information or using the same map.

Anja chose the word ‘PRIZM’ for the Game, partly based on the structure of the Diamond Way Meditation, and the fact that the diamond is considered to symbolize the most durable, most pure teachings. As a result of its purity, a diamond will remain unchanged and uncompromised, even when it takes on the different colours of the background on which it is placed.

The source of this text can be found in the 'Further Reading' section of this website (look under Pahl & Newnes and also Pahl, 2005a)